Wedge lamps are small, easily assembled and installed lamps popularly used in the automobile and electronics markets. Individually, wedge lamps are necessarily inexpensive, but nonetheless must meet the needs of quick, reliable insertion into a larger assembly, and must be durable in the environment of use. The common methods of wedge lamp manufacture rely on a frictional compression of the lamp lead by an exterior clip, base or combination of the two.
Numerous patents concerning the anchoring and electrical connection to wedge lamps have been granted The following patents generally demonstrate the teachings made by others. U.S. Pat. No. 2,937,308 to Howles et. al. shows a wedge lamp with the leads folded against the envelope extension. Howles is a typical example of the prior art to be improved on. U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,131 to Durand shows a wedge lamp with a clip. The leads are positioned between the clip and the envelope extension. U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,638 to Love et. al. shows a wedge lamp with the leads looped back over the envelope extension Love also shows an example of prior art to be improved on. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,365,396; 4,473,770; and 4,593,958 to Baba et. al. show wedge lamps with conductive clips positioned over the envelope extension, and enclosing the leads between the envelope and the clip. No adequate weld, or multiple attachments may be conveniently made to the enclosed lead. U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,278 to Devir et. al. shows a wedge lamp with the leads folded up in a nonconductive slot. Electrical connection is limited to direct contact with the lead. U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,585 to Beyland et. al. shows a wedge lamp with leads wrapped around posts of a nonconductive material. U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,973 to Smetana et al shows a wedge lamp with leads enclosed by clips, and having contact arms insertable in a base. U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,158 to Livermore et. al. shows a wedge lamp with leads enclosed by a clip.
Unfortunately, a frictional linkage, as where a clip frictionally pins a lamp lead, can fail after time, particularly in an automobile where the bouncing of the car shakes the envelope free of the base. As a result, the electrical connection can become intermittent, and may even fail. Other methods of fixing the lamp to the base are possible, as for example, cementing, or screw mounting, but these methods are not cost competitive, especially in small lamps individually costing very little. A need then exists for a method of inexpensively linking a small lamp envelope to a base or other support that is mechanically and electrically durable, particularly in environments that shake or vibrate.